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I was told for years that I "must" watch Almost Famous. Everyone told me that. Everyone. So finally, just last Monday, I watched it.

Call me underwhelmed.

But it did get me thinking about movies about music. Not documentaries (that's a whole other story) and not movies of live performances (again, something we will visit another day), and not musicals (I do love a good musical) but movies that are stories in which music happens to play a vital role.

Here's ten movies - in no particular order - where the music mattered so much it was practically a character.

1. Blues Brothers

From Aretha's awesome performance of "Think" in the diner, to cameos from Cab Calloway, James Brown an Ray Charles, "Blues Brothers" is a tour de force of music, even if Jake and Elwood's performances are more comedy than music.

2. Detroit Rock City

I know. You hated this movie. It was a box office flop. It was critically panned. But come on, didn't you ever try to scam your way into a show? Maybe I identified too much with the characters because I was once a member of the KISS army. There, you have uncovered one of the skeletons in my musical closet.

3. This is Spinal Tap

It just happens to be one of the most quoted movies of all time. If you've seen it once, you've most likely seen it dozens of times and can recite certain scenes from memory. The best thing about Spinal Tap is it is billed as "mockumentary" but most musicians will tell you that it might as well be about their bands.

4. SLC Punk

Because of this: "Another thing that pisses me off, talking about who started punk rock music. Was it...the Sex Pistols in England? Was it... the Ramones and the Velvet Underground in New York? "It was the Ramones!", "It was the Sex Pistols!" Who cares who started it?! It's music. I don't know who started it, and I don't give a shit. The one thing I know is that we did it harder, we did it faster, and we definitely did it with more love, baby. You can't take that away from us." Also, one of the best soundtracks ever.

5. The Wall

This rock musical is sort of like watching someone else's bad acid trip, something I've never really enjoyed. But you have to give credit to Pink Floyd for so seamlessly weaving together the music and visual conception of it. Not an easy task and they pull it off here with success (even if it is, in my eyes, an unlikeable success).

6. High Fidelity

If you have ever been a record store clerk, wanted to be a record store clerk, was put down by a record store clerk or hated a record store clerk, then you love High Fidelity. So, everyone who loves music - and list making about music - surely loves this movie.